[cofe]

For a few years I sometimes get pain on the outside and front of my right knee after a long day outside, walking around on uneven ground and bouldering etc. Knee stiffens up, painful to walk downstairs, always fine again the next day.

This time it flared up on weds after a long day and it hasn't settled since. Not stiff, just very minor discomfort BUT it's very painful walking downstairs, to the extent that I'm shuffling downstairs. This is the main pain, around the side and lower front. I havent knocked it or anything like that. Been icing and ibuprofen etc.

Help, etc? Ta...

[SA Chris]

I prescribe yoga

Mine does it too, but is probably due to old age.

[stevej]

Sounds like textbook ITB syndrome. Lots and lots of stretching it plus going cold-turkey on running etc. seemed to get rid of mine. Lots of strong anti-inflams make the stiffness go away if you catch it early enough. Voltarol/diclofenac worked for me in low behind-counter doses for early stiffness whereas ibuprofen in any quantity didn't do a thing. Once it gets really stiff you just have to stop using it until it eases off. Pills obviously don't solve underlying issues (but might let you get home).



Mostly included for the DFBWBK (with bad knees naturally)



This hurts like hell, but then I used a rolling-pin rather than a squishy foam thing. It's a lot more intense than the other stretches.



You can do the one at ~3:00 under a desk without looking like a twat so it's pretty useful.

Steve (not a doc)

[Falling Down]

  it sounds like ITB.  Mine flared up on my right knee after running the Eastern Edges from Derwent to Gardoms several years ago and I can only put it down to that leg being overextended on the marginally downhill side of the route for a percentage of the time. Wierd but it was the only explanation I could think of.  Took a couple of weeks to stretch out but it never came back.

[cofe]

Thanks guys. I'm fairly that's what it is now after some further reading. I think I've caught it early so I'll start on the stretching. Thankfully doesn't affect climbing.  Any other tips?

[Johnny Brown]

Maybe consider some better foorwear for a while. We all schlep about in skate shoes when light walking boots or trail running shoes might be more appropriate.

[Falling Down]

Worn with cropped skintight stonewashed jeans, white T-shirt 'n red braces and a very short haircut.

[SA Chris]

Lip up Fatty.

Baz Luhrmann wrote;

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

[TobyD]

Thanks guys. I'm fairly that's what it is now after some further reading. I think I've caught it early so I'll start on the stretching. Thankfully doesn't affect climbing.  Any other tips?

the stretches should feel uncomfortable, if they don't its unlikely to be stretching your ITB.  JB's footwear advice is probably a good idea.
If stretches don't sort it out, i've had some results with patella taping, but you'd want to go and see a physio for that. 

[The Sausage]

Not sure about that - your ITB doesn't really have any stretch receptors so you can't really feel it stretching.

Root cause of ITB issues is often some instability around the hip, causing the knee to twist inwards as you load it, and therefore put extra tension on the structures on the outside of your patella. It is often associated with a sudden increase or change in running habits (especially if running on uneven ground).

Single leg squats are good, but you need to make sure you're not flexing at the hip, and keep your knee in line with your second or middle toe: don't let it twist inwards.

[cofe]

thanks for the input Joe.

[Johnny Brown]

You been to see a professional yet?

[cofe]

yep. IT band. need to sort hips and a few other bits.

[jfw]

even though you can't stretch your IT band i found stretches really helped clear up my ITBS

seated on a chair - put ankle/edge  of foot on affected side, onto opposite knee. Affected knee out to the side - push down on affected side knee / lean forward.

seated on floor legs straight in front, draw affected knee up so heel on affected side level with unaffected knee(or slightly nearer to the body). Step the drawn up foot over the straightened out knee, and hug the drawn up knee with arm of opposite side, twisting your torso towards the side you're stretching.

standing up cross affected foot behind unattected foot. lean forward towards floor, then twist/lean towards the back foot.

for me injuries like this come in when i step up too quickly in training volume (either weekly, or individual run distance). When you are fatigued, what I think of as your "primary" muscles seem to wimp out eventually, and your "secondary" muscles have to step in to help out. if you build up gradually enough all well and good. bit too eager - and for me some buttock muscles gets all 
and this tightness leads to my IT band twanging like a bastard half way through a 24 mile event(which I manage to finish/ hobble doing it not much extra good ).

for sure these stabilising muscles need building up - but going in too strong and hard on the strength regime when the issue arose due to them being fatigued and angry doesn't make sense.

and for me stretching the associative muscles (piriformis/ glutes) had a really positive outcome - even though you can't stretch your IT band per se.

ICING - by experimenting on me - i found that my knees didn't like having an ice pack practicaly wrapped round them - and that this in fact made other local tissues really unhappy. when in the acute phase though - most physios etc would recommend icing - i since found that icing on the outside thigh not quite on the knee cap (ie above the sight of pain).

this is from an email i sent to my mate when he got ITBS

STRETCH BOTH SIDES!!
>
> stretch when you're slightly warm
>
> if you do any of the hip abductor exercises be
> slightly warm if possible and stretch after
>
> the starting position for the exercise in the first
> link,
> -stand sideways on step with non affected leg off edge
> of step and knees straight
> - allow non affected hip to drop
> -now slightly flex affected knee and bring weight onto
> inside of the foot
>
> even before doing the exercise movement this is a
> really good stretch and you can reach your hand over
> your head and lean to increase it.
>
>
> http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/1026-knee-injuries.htm
>
> http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050415/1545.html
>
> http://www.anaerobic.net/runnersguide.html
>
>
>  - you can self massage the side of your thigh with
> your hands, or with a rolling pin (bit small and
> painful), with a roller (which i didn't have so i used
> a metal sig bottle).
>
> - i read you shouldn't massage in the immediate knee
> vicinity as its an inflammatory condition - and its
> all a bit angry and massage there ain't going to help
>

[The Sausage]

Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that you can't stretch your ITB, only that you can't tell if you're stretching it, in the way you can when you're stretching you hamstrings (for example). You don't get that stretchy/pain.